The Book Ended Just The Way She Wanted

Marlee Belle returned to the castle despite her brothers doing their best to prevent her from leaving. When she arrived on the castle grounds her fears were confirmed. There lay the Beast. He was lying on the ground not moving a muscle. Oh she was so very afraid. She knew now that she did love him regardless of what he looked like. She hurried to the enchanted pool and gathered water for the Beast to drink in an old bottle she had found.

As soon as the Beast took a drink he looked into Marlee Belle's eyes and he immediately realized that she loved him. He showed to her that he was in fact a Prince. His royal crown magically appeared on his head. The ugliness disappeared and his eyes were full of love. He was the Prince that she had been dreaming of for months. She would someday be his Princess and live with him in his castle for the rest of her life.

Inside the castle all had returned to normal. The tree didn't talk and the tea cups didn't jiggle. The housekeeper, Mrs. Davy, no longer shook with fear, but smiled her pretty smile. The cook no longer fainted and the cat couldn't talk. Each room in the castle had bouquets of flowers showing off their beautiful colors. The Prince now allowed visitors to pick flowers while they strolled through the gardens because it made everyone so very happy.

The deer and the swans were once again part of the wildlife that belonged to the royal gardens. All the talking they did was to each other the way that animals do. All was well as it should be.

  Back at Marleewood, Harleigh Belle had finished her book. The Beauty and The Beast had ended just the way she wanted it to. The Quiet Room was such a wonderful place to sit and read. She smiled and sighed, "Someday I'm going to ask my grandma if the Little House on Jowler Creek could have a reading room. I just love to read."                                                 

Marlee Belle Dreamed That The Beast Was Dying

When Marlee Belle awoke the next morning she found herself waking up in her bedroom. It was hers because her things were there. She was surprised that her family had moved to a new home, but she smiled to herself thinking that her father had followed her advice and had used the gold the Beast had given him wisely. She stretched and yawned, but soon got out of bed. She was so very anxious to see her family, especially her father.

She had brought Stashia back with her so she called to her and said, "Come along, Stashia, let's go find my family. They are probably glad to see me since I've been gone for so long."

Sadly to say, Marlee Belle's sisters were not glad to see her at all. They once again were jealous of her beautiful clothes and the jewelry that she wore. Even though they both were about to get married, they still couldn't be happy for their sister. It made no sense to Marlee Belle, she was the one that had put her life in danger to save her father. Her sisters said that it was all her fault because she loved flowers. If their father hadn't stopped to pick a rose for her none of this wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Marlee Belle had brought lovely gifts for her family and told her sisters that she had missed them and wanted to be there to see them get married in their beautiful gowns. She told them that she just wanted them to be happy. She had given one of her sisters a diamond tiara to wear in her hair on her wedding day. She looked so beautiful, but she didn't even tell Marlee Belle thank you.

She gave her other sister a beautiful yellow dress with a diamond tiara as well as a diamond and gold walking stick to wear for her wedding. She didn't say thank you either. Both sisters were not a bit happy that she had come back to their home.

One night while Marlee Belle was sleeping she dreamed that the Beast was dying. He was all alone on the castle grounds. She woke up with a start and ran downstairs to find her brothers. She said that she needed to return to the Beast's castle because he was dying and needed her. They told her that she couldn't go back there. Her brothers did love her and wanted to protect her from the Beast.
Marlee Belle got very angry and knew then and there that she loved the Beast regardless of how he looked. She had to go back and save him.

Marlee Belle's Tears Were Too Much For The Beast

The Beast saw to it that Marlee Belle had all the best food to eat and brand new clothes to wear. Of course, she was sad because she missed her father, but the Beast had seen to it that she was entertained each day. In the many gardens she saw monkeys smiling and parrots that talked. She heard strange looking birds that could sing like nothing she had ever heard before. One day she saw an angel that was made of stone. "Oh how I wish you could grant me a wish, dear angel. I want to go home so badly."

 Often in the evenings the Beast arranged entertainment for her in the grand ballroom. And of course, each evening he would visit her after she had eaten her supper.
It was then that the Beast would ask her to live with him in his castle forever. He promised her that she would someday see past the ugliness of his face and come to love him. Every evening, Marlee Belle shook her head in disgust and went to bed with tears running down her face.

Each night when Marlee Belle fell asleep the Unknown Prince would visit her and tell her how much he loved her and that she should leave the castle and the horrible Beast and be his Princess forever.

Marlee Belle had become convinced that the beautiful Prince that came to her every night in her dreams was actually being held captive by the mean Beast right there in the castle. She had searched and searched all of the rooms. She found libraries full of wonderful story books and rooms full of birds. She found rooms that looked like theaters with many many seats. She wondered why she was being treated like a queen. She had no one to love her, only the Prince in her dreams. She had never found the Prince that loved her so.

One day after several months Marlee Belle's tears became too much even for the mean Beast. He told her that she could go home on one condition. She had to return in two months. The Beast gave her a magic necklace that would allow her to wake up in her parents' new home. She had to wear that necklace and no other jewelry or the magic wouldn't work. Marlee Belle was so very happy. She couldn't wait to go home and see her father. The Beast had given her many trunks of beautiful gifts for her brothers and sisters. The Beast again told her that if she didn't return within two months time that harm would come to her father and her family. Even though Marlee Belle was frightened by the Beast's threat she smiled at him and promised that she would be back within two months. She didn't want any harm to come to her family.

Marlee Belle Told Her Father To Hide The Gold

The Beast had told Marlee Belle's father to leave as soon as he heard the rooster crow early the next morning. He had told him to fill up four trunks full of beautiful jewels and clothing for his family. He had also seen a trunk full of gold. The time he had been to the castle before, Marlee Belle had told him to take the gold and fill in the spaces between the clothes and jewels. She said perhaps he should hide the gold and spend it wisely. They didn't want people to know that he had money or they might want to steal it.

He worked and worked on filling the trunks but they never seemed to get full. When at last he was finished they were too heavy for him to lift and sadly he decided that he would go home with nothing for his family. He was a very sad man. He had to leave his beautiful daughter without even saying goodbye to her. He hung his head and laid down on the bed and fell sound asleep.

Marlee Belle's father awoke to the smell of delicious food once again. He went to the small dining room and ate a wonderful meal. Just as he was finishing up he heard the sound of a rooster crowing. That was his signal to leave the castle without his beautiful Marlee Belle.

Amazingly when he was about to leave there were two horses that had the trunks on their backs that he had filled the night before. He was astonished. He heard the horses whinny and stomp their feet. They were ready to go. He jumped on his horse and was immediately transported back through the forest to his little cottage in the country.

When he reached his home he quietly hid the gold in Marlee Belle's closet as they had talked about. He noticed how greedy his daughters were, but at the same time he also noticed what wonderful young men his sons had turned out to be. They were kind and worked hard at the neighbors as farm hands.

After several months it seemed that Marlee Belle's father was the only one to miss her. He had been warned not to return to the castle or he and Marlee Belle would be harmed. Of course, he loved his daughter and did as the Beast had told him, but every night he would dream and pray for her as he went to sleep.
As time went on Marlee Belle's father had used his gold wisely. The Beast had given him a lot of gold. He had earned enough with the gold to start a new business and eventually bought a big beautiful home in the city. His children had grown older and some had gotten married. His two daughters had found men to love and both of them were going to be married soon. They never mentioned their sister, Marlee Belle, again.

Marlee Belle Misses Her Father

When Marlee Belle woke up early the next morning she once again found a table full of her very favorite foods waiting for her. She especially loved rice and there was a full bowl waiting for her. Her eyes were red from crying herself to sleep the night before, but the rice did make her feel much better. She found her way to her room and dressed in a dress she found on her bed that fit her perfectly. Nothing made sense to her in this huge castle. She needed to talk to her father so she went in search for him.

As she searched the castle looking for her father she heard a rooster crow and a horse whinny. She ran down the steps and rushed outside. Her father's horse was gone. She was left all alone. She knew this day was coming, but she wished she could have said goodbye to her father one last time.

As she walked the garden she saw such beautiful flowers. There were all colors, shapes and sizes."Why did that mean old Beast have to punish my father and I when all he did was pick one rose for me. Look at all these beautiful flowers. He is just mean and that's all there is to it."
Marlee Belle stood for awhile and watched the beautiful swans swimming in the quiet little pool. Close by there was a deer munching on some of the beautiful yellow flowers that were close to where she was standing.

Marlee started to whisper to the beautiful deer and said, "Oh I so wish that you could talk to me. I want to go home so badly. Is that horrible Beast going to hurt me? I wish I knew what happened to my father. And as she talked the deer continued to munch the juicy new spring grass, but after a little while she raised her head and said, "I will tell you something, Beauty. Your father is fine. The Beast sent him home on a magic horse. He left this morning when the rooster sounded the alarm. You will never see him again, little one, but he is unharmed. Now you must enjoy your stay here. It will someday be all yours to enjoy."
Marlee cried, "But I don't want this castle. I don't want these flowers, all I want is to go home and be with my family and my pony.
She walked slowly back towards the castle and there was Max. He seemed to be waiting for her to give him a treat.

Marlee Belle was being watched from the castle window. "Mrs. Davy, please get Beauty something to eat. We must make her happy. After all, someday she will be my princess and live with me forever and ever."

The Prince Called Her Beauty

The Beast said, "Does my appearance scare you that much that you screamed in fright? I am terribly sorry you feel that way."
Marlee just stared at the monster as he continued talking to her.
"Did you find the food to your taste? Did you get enough to eat? Did you come here willingly or were you forced to come here?"

Marlee nodded her head that she had had enough to eat. She finally found the strength to talk and said, "No I was not forced to come here with my father. I love my father and would do anything for him. You are not a very  nice beast. You would harm my father just because he picked a rose for me?"
The Beast started to growl and then said, "He was trespassing on my property and he was stealing flowers after I gave him food and shelter. He deserves to be punished. Now you have a bed waiting for you. You may take one of your dogs if you would like. Tomorrow you may take a stroll around the gardens and explore the castle if you would like. I will see you after supper tomorrow night. Goodnight and sleep well."

Marlee was so very frightened, but she was surprised to find that she was indeed, very sleepy. She soon found Stashia and they cuddled up together for a nice long sleep.

But while she was sleeping she had a dream. The nicest young man was in her dream. He said that he really liked her and wanted her to live in his house for the rest of her life. He whispered to her in her dreams that he was the Prince that she has been wishing to love her when no one but her father did. He said. "Since you are so beautiful I will call you Beauty. You shall be my Beauty all of your life."

While Marlee Belle was sleeping the Beast had gone to her father and told him that at the sound of the rooster's crow the next morning before the sun came up he would be gone; gone forever. He had to return to his cottage in the country to be with his family. He was going to keep his beautiful daughter forever.

There Was A Magic Tree In The Dining Room

Marlee Belle had not seen Mrs. Davy in the doorway, but she had seen strange things that were happening not only in the forest but to her as well. When she sneezed her dress had turned from gold to blue.  Right before their eyes everything kept changing; the color of her dress, the beautiful birds and animals were changing as well. "Oh Father, what is going to happen to us? Look at all these birds and animals. That have all been turned to stone."

Before her father could answer they heard a loud gong. The door swung open and the smell of wonderful cooked food reached their noses. "Well, little beauty, let's go in. I could sure eat something. Maybe everything will be alright."

They very slowly walked in the door and looked all around them. It seemed like everywhere they looked there were beautiful things. They had lived the good life before their house had burned down and her father's ships were destroyed, but their home had looked nothing like this. And it was so very quiet. Her father motioned for her to go up the stairs. He whispered to her that was where he found food waiting for him the last time he was here. So she started up the very long flight of stairs with her father following her.

When they reached the top of the stairway they heard voices. They followed the sound and there in an elegant room they found a table full of hot bread and meat and vegetables. Food that only the very rich can have. But where were the people that they heard talking?
Marlee Belle and her father walked even slower when they realized that there were no people in the room. Soon they heard a growl and a tinkling sound. There in the corner was a tree with twinkling lights. "Oh, Father there are Stashia and Zeke! How on earth did they get here? Who was talking?"
The tree's lights grew even brighter and it started to speak. "You and your father are supposed to start eating. The Beast will be here when you finish."

They were both so startled that for a moment they lost their appetite, but within just a minute or two they both started eating. The food was so delicious. Soon Marlee Belle's father said, "I am getting sleepy. I slept in a room just down the hall when I was here before. I'm sure someone will show you where to sleep soon. Finish your meal. I will hopefully see you in the morning."

Marlee Belle did what her father said. She finished her meal until she was full. She was taking her last drink when she heard a sound at the door. She looked up and the next sound that could be heard throughout the castle was Marlee Belle's scream. There stood the Beast!

Marlee Belle Was So Frightened!

Marlee Belle's little heart was beating soA fast. She was so afraid to go to the Beast's castle. She was sure she would never see her family again. She was doing this for her love of her father. He was so kind and good to his family. She looked at him with such sadness and love but decided that it was up to her to save his life.

The Beast was good at his word. He had somehow provided fast horses for them to ride back to the castle. It seemed like before they knew it they could see the castle towers through the treetops.

"Oh, Father! I am so afraid, there are wild animals and such bright lights I can't even see. What shall we do? Is the Beast going to get us?"

Her father started to turn his horse around. He could not leave his daughter here with that monster, but no matter what he tried to do with the horse, it would not obey.
Marlee Belle's father had tried his best, but the enchantress, or witch had put a spell on the castle and all that lived within it. It seemed that she had put a spell on the forest as well.

Marlee Belle had to sneeze. "Oh no. I am going to sneeze. Achoo!"
Sure enough her sneeze had been heard by Mrs. Davie. She opened the door and peered around the corner to see what the noise was that she had heard. "There she is. That beautiful girl is going to make the Prince love her someday. I just know she will. But the question is, will she love him back? Appearances sometimes are deceiving. That has been proven down through the ages. If she doesn't love the Prince back he will remain this horrible looking Beast for the rest of his life."

Marlee Belle's father heard the door open and there in the doorway was a friendly face.  "Well, the lady at the door looks friendly, maybe this will be okay after all, Marlee Belle."
When Marlee Belle looked towards where her father pointed she said, "What lady, Father? All I see is a closed door. Are you alright? Are you so scared too?"

Marlee Belle Was So Sad To Leave Her Home

Marlee Belle's father was so frightened by the Beast's roar that he fell to the ground. In his fall, he fell on the rose bush from which he had picked the rose for Marlee Belle. He apologized over and over for picking the rose without permission. He said, "I looked all over for the owner of this beautiful home, but found no one to thank for the food. I am so sorry, please forgive me. I just picked this one rose for my youngest daughter.

The Beast had no mercy. He said, "I was going to kill you for stealing from me and you did that even after I gave you shelter and delicious food to eat. But since you are sorry, you go to your home and you bring me one of your daughters in exchange for your life. Don't you lie to them. You must tell them the truth and come back to my home willingly."

The Beast sent all kinds of beautiful jewels and clothes for Marlee Belle's complete family. He was told to return within a month. If he did not he would destroy his complete family. Marlee Belle's father assured him he would return before the month was out.

When he returned home with such beautiful gifts for his family they were so very excited and happy. They were happy until he told them of the Beast's threat. He had to return to the Beast's castle with one of his daughters within the month.
Marlee Belle's sisters, were so very jealous of her and decided immediately that Marlee Belle was the daughter that should go with their father to the Beast's castle.

 Oh his sons were so upset. They were going to go back to the castle and destroy the Beast. Their father explained that their best efforts would never work. The Beast had strong powers. He had to take one of his daughters back to the castle, that's all there was to it.

Marlee Belle watched from the window and heard what her father had told the rest of the family. She sighed and decided that she would have to go to the castle and save the rest of her family. Shortly her father knocked on her bedroom door. "Marlee Belle, I have a gift for you. I brought you a rose. It was at great expense, I'm afraid. The Beast that lives in the castle said that he wants one of my daughters and that she must come willingly."

Marlee Belle gave her father a sad smile and said, "I will go to the Beast, father. But I must say goodbye to my dog first. I will miss her so."

Her father assured her that they didn't need to leave right away. They didn't have to be back at the castle for a few more days. He had hurried home on a new horse that the Beast had given him so they still had two weeks before they had to go back.

Marlee Belle went to the pasture to say goodbye to her little horse, Max. Oh how she would miss her home and her animals.

The night before they left she and her new puppy, Zeke, cuddled together on the floor. Oh leaving him was so very hard.

The Governess

It seemed to the hungry children that they had just been told to start eating their pottage when a very stern voice said, "le stop! You must be pigs. You eat slowly. I promise you will get another meal if 

you learn to eat faster and your lessons just as fast.  Now hurry hurry. You must not be late. You have much to learn about being a royal servant. Now tout suite!" (hurry in French) "

"You must address me as Mademoiselle de le Grace. From this moment you will answer to no one but me unless of course, it is the Queen herself, but that will probably never happen. You will report to the lesson room as soon as you take whatever belongings that you have to your appointed pallet."

Grandma Lu stopped again and grinned at the folks that were listening. "This is really hard to understand but peas were just new to France about the time that little Catherine and Regan arrived. The peasants in the farmland surrounding the castle could now grow peas and some other vegetables. The women would put them in a pot in the morning and it would cook all day while they were in the fields with the menfolk. The peas made the soup thick. That's where the word pottage came from. If some of you older folks ever jumped rope you may remember a little song we sang while we jumped. Remember 'peas porridge hot,  peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old'? Well, it actually was pottage, not porridge. And so much like other kinds of food the longer it cooks the better it tastes."

Grandma Lu chuckled again and said, "Well, I had better get on with my story. I get to rambling on sometimes. So any way, Regan whispered to little Catherine. "What does she mean 'stop eating. We just started. We are not eating like pigs. Why do we have to hurry and what lessons. What's going on?"

Little Catherine had a feeling she knew exactly what was happening. The Queen would travel all over Europe and find all kinds of treasures but also all kinds of people. She wanted the smartest and the best as well as the most beautiful to be her servants. "I think to earn our food and our beds we have to wait on the Queen. It will be better than being cold and hungry, don't you think? Besides, we have nowhere else to go. We no longer have nice warm homes and loving parents. We had best just accept our lot in life and do as we are told."
Regan whispered back, "Well, I'm sure glad I sneaked an apple in my pocket. That way I can have a snack later." One little girl at the table heard Regan and grinned at her. Regan may have company wanting to share her apple at bedtime.
The little Catherine motioned for the others to follow their lead and this they did very unwillingly because they all were very hungry and tired.

Unknown to Catherine and Regan the Queen's husband, King Francis ll had received a very unusual gift from a friend. A hairy beast of a child that would in hundreds of years be even more famous than little Catherine.
The beast child had arrived like an animal in a cage. The King, being a kind man, took him out of the cage and treated him as a son. He clothed him as he would a noble and also educated him to the extent that he could speak and write three languages. Sadly, the King died in a sporting event and left the beast as he was called, to his wife, the Queen.

Catherine, a daughter of a royal court servant, would grow into a beautiful young woman. The Queen wanted a family of hairy beasts so she chose Catherine, a beautiful young woman to marry the now grown man so that she could see a complete family of hairy beasts and have them for pets. She would take their babies away and give them as gifts to other royal friends.

       
                                                         **********
Catherine and her husband Petrus were married for more than forty years. They had seven children three of whom were normal people without an abundance of hair. They toured Europe and lived in Italy for the majority of their lives. They were not buried together because Petrus was not considered a human so he had no record of birth or death. Catherine however, had her birth and death recorded. There was no mention of her parents and her many siblings. I have a feeling that once she left to live in the castle they never saw her again. The story of the homeless girls is pure fiction, however, many of the facts are true. I found them on the internet and was absolutely fascinated.
There were two fairy tales that emerged from their real story that appeared in books. Years and years later a movie called Beauty and the Beast became popular in a Disney film called just that. Beauty in the Disney film also wore the yellow dress as the Catherine in the painting that the Italian Duke had painted that I have in this story.